The Internet is a collection of integrated networks spanning the world and includes hundreds of thousands of online environments, such as a web sites and chat rooms. These environments are collectively referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW) and provide a myriad of online services such as search engines, interactive games, chat rooms, auctions, and retail sites to list a few.
There are several software applications, called web browsers, by which a user can easily navigate the World Wide Web, and access the online environments. Modern web browsers can present a wide range of multimedia including text, graphics, audio and video. Using a web browser, a user can jump from one destination to another by selecting one of the embedded references, also referred to as links. In this manner, the user navigates the World Wide Web, jumping from one destination to another.
One of the primary revenue generators for the Internet is the sale of advertising space on popular web sites. When the user accesses a web site and views an electronic advertisement for a product or service of interest, the user can view more information by simply clicking on the electronic advertisement. An embedded link associated with the advertisement directs the user to another web page that further describes the advertised product or service. Typically a different online environment, often the company marketing the offered product or service, provides the second web page.